


Walking With A Ghost

by haaaveyoumetted



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, YouTube, YouTubers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:00:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22099864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haaaveyoumetted/pseuds/haaaveyoumetted
Summary: Rey is a student who runs a YouTube channel in her spare time, and drags her roommate Rose into videos whenever she gets the chance.Ben is a highly successful YouTuber- one of the top creators on the platform. He managed to build a brand around a persona that is the best and worst thing that's ever happened to him. Having Hux as a best friend only made things more complicated.When Rey's subscribers introduce her to Hux's collaboration video with 'Kylo Ren', would could possibly go wrong?
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

Rey stared at the equipment sitting in the corner of the room and let out a long drawn-out sigh. She could've sworn it was mocking her. She knew she **absolutely** needed to record that day. She hadn't posted anything in almost a week, and even though she only had a few hundred subscribers she needed to stay dedicated. If she ever had **any** hope of her channel actually growing into something, she couldn't allow herself to get lazy. The moment she started giving herself an inch, a month would pass without her uploading. It hadn't happened- _yet._ She was trying to keep it that way. 

Rey shook her head at how ridiculous she was being. She started doing this because she enjoyed it. It gave her a consistent hobby. It also kept her productive, which helped keep some of her anxiety and depression from completely swallowing her whole. 

She didn't really have the space to record the way she wanted to. She shared a bedroom with her roommate Rose, and the only other open space was the living room. It was a cozy little place they shared and she loved it; it just meant she had to get creative with her set up. 

Normally, if Rose wasn't using the living room or the attached kitchen, Rey would use their shelf of movies as her backdrop and the coffee table as her desktop. It wasn't much, but she made it work for her. Sitting on the floor wasn't always the most comfortable thing, but she didn't have much of a choice. 

She crawled over to the coffee table and pulled up the tabs she needed on her laptop just as she heard the lock jiggling in the front door. She smirked to herself as Rose walked through it a few seconds later. "Just in time. I almost thought I'd have to start without you."

"Hello to you too", Rose replied, as she shut the door behind her and leaned down to untie her boots. "Do you just put off recording until you think I'm going to be home?"

Rey laughed and shook her head. "Me? Procrastinate? I'm a bit insulted you'd even suggest that." She replied as she finished adjusted her camera. "But now that you're here, I don't see why..."

"I _knew_ it!" Rose laughed, cutting her sentence short. "You just didn't want to record by yourself."

"Viewers really enjoy it when we record together! You've seen the comments, Rose" Rey replied, turning to look at her roommate as she walked into their bedroom. 

Rey knew that being on camera wasn't really Roses' thing. It certainly wasn't for everybody. But they _did_ have great chemistry and it actually gave Rey someone to interact with. It created an energy on screen that she had to work so much harder to achieve when she recorded by herself. She had only started the channel by herself because she had to. She didn't have any friends with channels in their little part of the world, and didn't know anyone who would have started one with her. 

So she had to resort to trying to drag her roommate into it as often as she could. 

"What are you reacting to today?" Rose asked from the other room. 

"I'm actually doing something new tonight." Rey replied. "There's this video- no idea what it is- but I've gotten loads of comments asking me to post a reaction."

"Yeah?" She could tell Rose as at least _curious._ She counted it as a small victory. Rose walked back into the shared living space. "I don't know if you should be excited or terrified... people on the internet are into some weird shit sometimes." 

Rey couldn't disagree with her there. "I've done a bit of checking into it, without watching the actual video, because I'd like to avoid being completely scarred for life if at all possible." She said in reassurance. 

"Good. I've taught you well." Rose replied with a smile as she flung herself onto one of the couches. 

Rey scoffed and looked at Rose, giving her _the look_. "Which one of us still uses a flip phone that doesn't even have internet capabilities _on purpose?_ " 

"My phone does everything I need it to, thank you very much." Rose replied, raising her eyebrows. 

"It's like I don't even know who you are sometimes."

"You don't know what you'd do without me." Rose replied, sticking her tongue out.

"You're bloody right about that. Who would I be perpetually single with if you weren't around?" Rey admitted. 

"Exactly. Although, I'm still willing to put money on you getting married before I do. _**If**_ I ever do." Rose replied. 

Rey giggled as she responded. "You're so ridiculous. The more you say that, the more I'm convinced the universe is going to make sure you eat your words. You'll be married before all of us." 

"And _**you**_ say that every time it gets brought up. Stop giving the universe ideas." Rose threatened playfully, throwing one of the couch pillows at her. 

Rey caught it and threw it back at her. "Rude." Rose just laughed. 

"Are you going to record this with me or are you going to be a creep like you usually are and just watch me do it?"

"Hey! I am not creepy. Your subscribers love when I give my offscreen commentary. Makes it feel more authentic." Rose replied. 

"Fair enough." Rey conceded with a sigh. "Let's get this over with then."

Rey leaned forward to hit the record button on her webcam before scooting back to her previous spot and positioning herself slightly off center. 

_"_ Hi guys! Rey here with another video. I'm going to be doing something a bit different today. So many of you have requested that I post a reaction to this video, and I have absolutely no idea what I'm in for here. So it's going to be quite an adventure for all of us." Rey said with a laugh. "I'm trusting you guys on this one... I'm slightly terrified. But I'm also extremely curious, so let's just jump into this and see what happens." 

Rey paused briefly before leaning over until she could reach her laptop. She opened the browser window where she had queued up the video. Her eyes scanned the title and she bit her lip, already trying to keep from laughing. " _ **I'VE NEVER SEEN MY BEST FRIEND'S FACE?!".**_ That, paired with the thumbnail- she knew she was in for an interesting 7 minutes at the very least. 

She hit 'play' and quickly got herself situated as the opening sequence for the channel " **WhatTheHux"** played and then faded out. Two men appeared on screen- well, one was definitely a man. He had very vibrant, natural red hair and a very pale skin tone. Sitting next to him was someone - with broad shoulders and a mask covering their entire face- _their entire head._ She couldn't even see a single strand of hair peaking out from beneath it. She was already intrigued. She said as much out loud, reminding herself to stay present and speak to the viewers. 

"That mask is insane. There's no way this is a one off. They spent some serious time, or money, or both on that thing..." 

> " _...most of you probably know, my name is Hux and you may have noticed I have a guest joining me today."_
> 
> _Hux spoke with an accent much like Rey's. There were a handful of highly successful YouTubers who were English, most of who she kept up with. But she couldn't say she'd seen his videos before._
> 
> _"If you spend most of your free time getting sucked into the YouTube void, you **should** recognize my guest as Kylo Ren. That's right- **THE** Kylo Ren. Kylo doesn't normally agree to do collaborations, but after years and years of nagging, and despite constant threats of renouncing our friendship completely, he has agreed to do "The Best Friend tag" with me."_
> 
> _"I immediately regret all of my life choices that lead to this moment." Kylo said, speaking for the first time since the video started._

She noticed right away that the voice coming from the mask was... a bit odd. It was clearly going through a filter- a voice changer of some sort. She couldn't help but wonder what this guy did on his own channel. So much went into connecting to and finding an audience, and she had always believed that - whether you were putting on a persona for your channel or not- eye contact with the camera meant _**everything.**_

Clearly this Kylo Ren had found a way around that; if he was as popular as Hux made him out to be. 

> _"You don't mean that, Ren" Hux replied rolling his eyes. "That means you regret the last ten years we've known each other and our entire friendship."_
> 
> _"I can already tell admitting to the internet that we know each other and that I willingly spend time with you was a mistake. Why did I agree to this again?" Kylo replied with a sigh._

Rey was completely sucked in. Hux and Kylo had a dynamic that was fun to watch. It was easy to tell that they were actually friends, as painful as that seemed to be for Kylo in that moment. 

> _"Because despite what you want everyone to believe, you do actually enjoy my company. Also, your life would be a mess without me." Hux replied with a smirk._

Kylo didn't reply, and he didn't have to. His silence was _almost_ funnier than anything he could've said. He just had a _presence_ that telegraphed his disdain. 

"They haven't even gotten to any of the questions yet and this is brilliant. Big thanks to everyone who requested this because I can already tell I'm going to love this." Rey said to the camera, a big smile on her face. 

> _"Your silence is supremely encouraging, thank you." Hux continued. "So, we have a list of ten questions to answer for each other, and whoever gets the most right wins- because it means they actually pay attendant and know their **best friend** very well." _
> 
> _"I hope you're prepared to be supremely disappointed." Kylo said._

The tone of his voice didn't really change- but there **_had_ **to at least be a smirk under that mask. Or the most exasperated facial expression in the entire world. As the video continued and Hux tried his best to get Kylo to participate in this little game he'd somehow convinced him to be part of in this first place, Rey found herself caught up in trying to imagine what the mystery man's facial expressions looked like. The one liners he would throw out were complete gold. Whether it was on purpose or not, his comedic timing was brilliant. 

> _"First question- Describe each other in one word." Hux read out from the piece of paper in his hands. "There are plenty of words I could choose here.. but I think that 'mysterious' is probably best. All encompassing. Might be a bit too obvious though..."_
> 
> _"Delightful" Kylo suddenly says, clearly catching Hux off guard._
> 
> _"I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said about me" Hux replied, genuine shock on his face._
> 
> _"No, me. The word I think you should be using for me is delightful. You're more of an.... insufferable. Clingy."_
> 
> _"Clingy?! How am I clingy?!" Hux replied._
> 
> _"There mere fact that I'm in this video right now proves that."_

Hux was _clearly_ not in control of the situation, and Rey had a feeling that wasn't unusual. Kylo knew how to get under Hux's skin. 

> _"I've changed my mind. 'Insufferable' is now the word I'm using for you." Hux replied. "Okay, next question. How would you describe our friendship?"_
> 
> _"A ten hanging out with a five." Kylo replied without missing a beat._

Rey burst out into surprised laughter. This Kylo Ren was _relentless._ "This 'Kylo Ren' is either a comedic genius or a complete asshole. Maybe a little bit of both."

It didn't take long for Rose to pop in and join her- it was comedic gold and even she didn't want to miss out on it. It was funny if you listened to it, but _watching it_ made it even better. Kylo Ren was so calm and composed- even in his body language. It contrasted well with how animated Hux was when he spoke. 

"I _can't believe_ this is the first time these two have collaborated. They've been depriving the internet of _years_ of comedy gold." Rey said between laughs, trying to catch her breath. Rose was nearly in tears next to her as they continued to watch the video. By the time they reached the end of it, both of them were a mess. 

"Oh my god Rose. What did we even just watch." Rey said, wiping tears from her face. 

"You're right. It really is a travesty that this is the only collaboration video they've done... it's probably also a good thing though because otherwise I'd just sit around watching them and never get anything done." Rose replied.

"You and me both. Well, thank you again to everyone out there who requested this, because you just made our night. If you liked what you saw, don't gorget to subscribe and keep sending in requests. You guys are the best, we'll see you next time!" Rey said, closing out the video. 

X x X x X x X

"I _told_ you it was a brilliant idea." Hux said for what felt like the millionth time since he posted the video. 

Be rolled his eyes, keeping his back turned and focusing on the task at hand. It didn't take _that_ much concentration to cook dinner, but he knew it would annoy Hux. 

"Are you just going to keep saying that every day, a thousand times a day until we die? It's been _two months_ " Ben replied.

Hux scoffed. "Only until you admit I was right. Which I obviously was."

He couldn't exactly argue with him. Their video had reached a couple million views in just a few hours, and his subscriber count had definitely increased. 

"You do realize I never said it was a bad idea in terms of content." Ben replied. "Kylo has never done a collaboration- that in itself was going to attract viewers."

"Exactly. I know you knew it was mutually beneficial. Which is why I still don't get why it took literally years of me begging for you to finally agree to it." Hux replied. 

"Because you clearly still don't understand what it actually takes to keep my channel operating successfully. All it takes is one little hint- the smallest piece of identifiable information- and someone out there will figure it out. And then it'll be all over the internet and the 6 years of work I've put into my channel will mean nothing." Ben explained, finally turning around to look at him. "It's also why there was no way in hell I was letting you edit that thing without supervision." His lips twitched up into a smirk as Hux attempted to glare a hole through him. 

"... I hate you."

Ben turned his attention back to the stove and smiled to himself. It was rare for Hux to not have a clever comeback. It usually only happened when he knew Ben had a point and didn't want to admit it. Normally, he'd give him shit for it, but he was feeling generous today. "So, what's on your long and exciting list of plans for the weekend?" 

"Oh y'know, the usual." Hux sighed, sinking down onto the couch. "Hit the circuit. Take advantage of the free alcohol. Stop by at an unacceptable hour of the morning completely pissed and steal your leftovers." 

"So, the usual then?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow as he turned to walk over to the couch. He took a bite of the food he had just finished preparing and sat down. Hux's weekend antics had been the same since they were in their early 20's. It stopped phasing him a long time ago. 

Hux shot him a knowing look. "Don't be bitter, Solo. You know you're more than welcome to join me instead of being a shut in all weekend. But only if you're not going to stand in the corner and sulk." 

Ben protested. "Excuse me, I don't stand in the corner and sulk. I find a comfortable spot and observe. Despite my better judgement, I even let you convince me to get drunk enough to dance occasionally." 

Hux snorted. "If only I still had videos from some of those nights. I don't know why you don't let loose more often." 

Ben shook his head, taking another bite of his food. "It's part of the genius behind my branding decisions. I can decide when I want to go out and when I don't, _**and**_ I rarely have to make appearances in general. Anyone can throw on a mask for a few minutes, shake some hands and leave." 

"I don't think I've ever met someone who is as smart as you are, while also being an absolute moron." Hux replied. "You found a brand that has given you attention other YouTubers would kill for, while still maintaining anonymity and you're not even taking advantage of it." 

"How many times have you given me this lecture now?" Ben asked, clearly amused by the situation. 

"Clearly not enough. Because you still refuse to learn anything from my extremely valuable wisdom." Hux replied.

"I don't think 'wisdom' is really the word I'd use for it." 

"You really are insufferable." Hux said, standing and grabbing his keys from the kitchen counter. "I'm going to get ready and at 9:00 I'm coming back here and you better be dressed and ready for a night you won't remember tomorrow." He was out the door, shutting it behind himself before Ben could respond. 

He had a little under 3 hours to decide if he was going to indulge Hux or not. He could just leave. Find somewhere to hang out and be gone by the time Hux came looking for him. Ben sighed as he took the last couple bites of his food. "I'm really, _**really**_ going to regret this." he mumbled to himself. 

Eventually he talked himself into getting up and putting his dish in the sink. He spent a few minutes just staring down the hall at his bedroom door. 

In his early 20's, Ben had been part of Hux's antics more than his best friend likes to give him credit for. He's never used 'Kylo Ren' the way Hux would've if their roles were reversed. He'd even fired his long time manager not long ago because of it. When he first started his channel, he had almost been swayed to go in that direction with it. But he could only take the persona so far. It took him some time to realize it, but he still wanted to have parts of Ben Solo left when he turned the camera off. The bleed through was hard to maintain, and he'd made some mistakes he was still learning to live with. Some he'd probably spend the rest of his life trying to mend, if he ever had the courage to actually try and deal with any of it. 

That was the thing Hux - or anyone else for that matter - would never understand. Not really. Hux had been one of the only people to actually witness him struggle through that time in his life. He'd _encouraged_ Ben to fall into it; to do what his manager wanted. He still didn't know how their friendship survived that. 

Ben snapped himself out of his thoughts, knowing that was not a spiral he wanted to go down today. "Damn it."

He knew he needed to get his mind off of it. He already hated the smug look Hux was going to have on his face when he showed up and Ben was _actually_ dressed to go out. 

When he reached his bedroom, he walked over to the closet and pulled out a black v-neck and a pair of black jeans, and a navy blue blazer to make himself look just presentable enough, on his bed. He knew it would only take him about 10 minutes to shower and get changed. It would still leave him with the better part of two hours to do some editing before Hux came looking for him. 

It wasn't unusual for him to completely lose track of time when he was editing. He'd gone days without eating or sleeping before, and despite how much he hated to admit it, it was probably a good thing he had Hux around to bother him every couple of days to make sure he was still alive. At the moment, he had 3 videos recorded waiting to be edited and compressed. He tried to keep a pretty consistent upload schedule, considering it was where most of his income came from; well, the income he felt comfortable using. 

Before he realized it, Hux was barging into his apartment. "Solo, I swear if I walk into that bedroom and you aren't-"

He didn't even have time to finish his sentence before he burst into the room. Ben swiveled around in his office chair to face him. It took all of Ben's restraint not to burst out laughing at the look on Hux's face. He looked so genuinely shocked, like he assumed he was going to have to drag Ben out of his apartment to get him to go out. 

"Am I dead? I must have died on my way over to your flat because you're actually _dressed and ready to go out_ like I told you to be." Hux said. "You have your good blazer on and everything!" 

Ben smirked, enjoying the reaction he was getting out of him. "Don't make me regret this decision before we even leave my apartment." 

"No. No way. Come on, let's go. You're not getting out of this now." Hux replied, reaching over and pulling Ben to stand up and practically dragging him out of the apartment. 

"This is going to be a loongggg night." Ben mumbled to himself as he shut and locked the door behind them. 


	2. Chapter 2

"As much I love London, I've gotta say- it's nice to be home" Rose said with a smile. 

"And we're very, very glad you're home.. and that you shoved Rey into your suitcase and brought her with you." Poe replied, plopping down on the couch next to her.

"Pfft. As if I was going to leave Rey there all by herself." Rose replied. "I know how to share every now and then." She continued with a wink.

Rey smiled to herself. She had been friends with Rose for a few years now and she had introduced Rey to her other friends, Finn and Poe, not long after that. But she still hadn't quite gotten used to not being alone. It was overwhelming sometimes, to have people in her life that cared about her so much. 

"Does that mean you're going to bring Rey back here with you when you finish your year abroad?" Poe asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"As much as I'd like to say 'absolutely', I'm not the one that can make that decision. I mean, I could attempt to kidnap her when I come back at the end of the year, but I think I'd need some help." Rose replied.

"I'm sure that could be arranged, if necessary." Poe agreed. 

"You're both completely hopeless, you know that?" Rey said, a big grin on her face.

"Drastic times call for drastic measures, Rey", Poe replied with a shrug. 

Just as Rey opened her mouth to reply the front door shot open. Rey very ungracefully jumped up from her spot on the couch, sprinted over to the door and leapt into the arms of the man she had missed more than anyone. "It's so good to see you, Finn."

Finn laughed, wrapping his arms around her tightly and lifting her of off the ground. "This is exactly the kind of greeting I was hoping for. I always knew I was your favorite." He said, sticking his tongue out at Poe and Rose. 

Rey laughed and he set her back on her feet. "That's supposed to be our little secret" she replied in a clearly exaggerated whisper. 

"You wound me, Rey. I can't believe you'd betray me like this", Poe replied, trying not to smile.

"Look, we all know that Rey's actual best friend is me. So you two can with for second position." Rose replied. 

"I am staying out of this one completely" Rey replied, shaking her head at the sheer ridiculousness of her friends. 

"Also, I think we have more pressing matters to discuss at the moment." Rose interjected. "It's our very first night back in the states- _meaning_ our semester is officially over. We need to go our and celebrate." 

"You're damn right we do. It feels like forever since it's been all four of us hanging out." Finn agreed.

"What are we thinking? Skywalker's?" Poe suggested. "I've still got my connections- won't cost us anything to get in."

"If it's going to save us paying a cover charge, I'm in" Finn replied. "Although, I still don't know if I believe you have connections..." 

"I second that. Not quite earning enough to think about turning that down." Rey agreed. "Finn does have a point though. I think you just charm your way in." 

"How is it that _I'm_ the one getting us all in and I'm still getting shit?" Poe replied, feigning a look of offense.

"I'm just saying- we've never actually _seen_ this mysterious 'connection' of yours" Finn replied. 

"It's not my fault that he doesn't get out much and doesn't like his name just getting thrown around." Poe defended. "I'll keep an eye out for him tonight, and if he's there I'll make sure we all go say hi." 

"I'm looking forward to that" Rey replied with a smirk. "I guess that means we should probably start getting ready then..." 

"I call dibs on the shower first!" Rose declared, standing from the couch and dashing over to the hallway. They all laughed as they heard the bathroom door closing. 

The boys shared a look between them, shaking their heads. "Should've seen that one coming" Finn said. "Don't even get to shower first in our own place."

Rey smiled, turning to stare out the large windows in the living area as Poe and Finn continued talking. As much as Rey loved home, she couldn't deny there was something magical about New York City. Sure, it had a special place in her heart because it's the place that had introduced her to her best friends - but even on it's own, it was a beautiful, intriguing place.

"You gonna be alright going out tonight?" Finn asked, snapping her attention back to the present moment. "You and Rose being back is obviously more than enough reason to go out and celebrate, but I know that jet lag can be a bitch." 

"I'm feeling alright at the moment... I don't think it's quite hit me yet. Knowing my luck it'll hit me 5 drinks in and my body will just give out on me completely." Rey replied. "That'll be a sight to see." 

"Just get completely hammered and then you won't remember any of it. Fool proof plan." Poe suggested. 

"Sounds like I've got a wild night ahead of me. I suppose that means I should go get ready." Rey replied, sighing. She stood from her spot on the couch and stretched her arms high above her head. 

Poe walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Remember. This is America. The land of partying hard and getting so wasted that you think you're going to die in the morning. But it's also the land where insanely gorgeous women with charming accents come to break hearts. So own it." 

Rey felt a blush creeping over her face. "So basically you're telling me that I can't just throw some jeans and a top on and call it a day." she replied, trying to keep a straight face.

"Do we have to get Rose to pick out what you're wearing tonight? I don't know if we can trust you to dress appropriately for Skywalker's on your own." Finn added.

"What about Rose?" the woman herself asked, stepping out of the hallway and rubbing a towel through her damp hair. 

"You're picking out Rey's outfit for tonight." Finn replied.

"She can't be trusted", Poe agreed. "She clearly underestimates her beauty. We can't have her trying to roll up in jeans and a baggy sweatshirt." 

"That was a _joke"_ Rey replied. "I wasn't actually going to do that."

Poe and Finn both looked at her with expressions of disbelief on their faces. 

"I don't know what I'm going to do with the three of you", Rose said, glancing around at all of them as she spoke. "Go take a shower, Rey. I'll start putting together some options."

Rey knew there was no point in arguing. Not that she really even wanted to. Rose had an incredible sense of fashion and it saved Rey from stressing about having to pick something and hoping for the best. 

X x X x X x X

"It's almost impressive. You truly have a talent for making me regret my decision to leave my apartment almost instantly." Ben remarked, his hands shoved in his pockets. 

Hux scoffed. "it's not my fault that you hate the connections you have, and you have brilliant ones. We'd be bloody morons not to use them." 

Ben scoffed. "You act like I don't have a good reason to hate them. If Skywalker if there tonight, you're buying me a drink." 

"A small price to pay for actually getting you to go out in public and socialize on a Friday night." Hux replied, winking at Ben. 

"If you say so", Ben relented, shaking his head. They stood in companionable silence as they waiting to their Uber to arrive. It was only about a 10 minute drive from their apartment building, much to his annoyance. 

About 5 minutes later they were sliding into the car and driving towards the club that was once his safety net in this big city. It was a place he felt comfortable. It was familiar and kept him from having to find his rhythm- both figuratively and literally- at other venues. 

He forced himself to take a deep breath as Skywalker's came into view. He'd rarely, if ever, admit it to anyone, but Like had created a place that catered to the clientele in New York City perfectly. By day, it was a highly respected restaurant that was typically booked out months and months in advance. They also held early dinner services, before shutting down that part of the building to focus on getting the night club section to be open by 10:00pm. It was always busy, with people lining up to get inside as early as 8:00pm on some nights. It was upscale in almost every aspect- the fairly strict dress code, the expansive top shelf alcohol that was available, the decor, even the company they kept; both in the staff they hired and the celebrities from all walks of the entertainment industry that were regulars whenever they were in town. Ben would also never admit it, but he admired how much work Luke put into keeping it scandal free. He'd never tolerated any diva behavior from anyone, never gave the time of day to the press- other than paying whoever he needed to in order to keep them as far away from the building as possible. It was no surprise that the "YouTubers" that were local to the area had dubbed it their meeting place- especially when other content creators from out of town came to visit. 

Because out of all of the clubs in New York City, of course they did. 

Ben tried very hard not to even think about his own channel whenever they went to Skywalker's. Even when- _especially_ when- he overheard people talking about whether anyone had ever seen Kylo Ren make an appearance there; as Kylo, or as 'whoever he was outside of YouTube'. There were days when it amused him to think about what they'd do if they found out the mysterious and extremely private Kylo Ren was standing right next to them. There were other days when he tried to block it out of his mind completely, because he knew most of them would be disappointed by how ordinary he was behind the mask. He wasn't glamorous or extravagant in his lifestyle choices any more-so than anyone else who made decent money. He wasn't the socialite that Hux and most of the other big YouTubers were. He never would've attained the kind of success he had with his channel as Ben Solo; especially not with the scar that he had running down the right side of his face. The irony of it all was that the scar had come after the YouTube success. He wonders if that matters. 

He was so lost in his thoughts that by the time he snapped out of it, they were approaching the entrance. The line had already wrapped around the front of the building and disappeared around the side and out of sight. Phasma, as she called herself, was watching the door, as she did most nights. She gave them a nod and paused briefly from inspecting IDs to let them inside. 

He could hear the whispers from the front of the line as they walked inside. He got far too much satisfactions from knowing none of it was about him- other than the occasional curiosity about who he was and why he was with Hux. That never lasted long. 

Ben followed Hux through the main hallway and into the room that housed the main bar and dance floor. It was already in full swing- a crowd of people huddled around the bar, most of the tables claimed, and very little open space on the dance floor. He let the pulsating of the music wash over him as they weaved their way through the crowd and over to the section that housed the VIP tables. The attendant nodded to them and let them through. From the outside, it would have looked like he recognized Hux and didn't ask any questions. Ben would never correct them. He knew it was him. It was unspoken, since he hadn't talked to Luke in years, but he knew him and his friends- and as a result the YouTube community - would be taken care of as long as they played by the rules. 

They were able to claim Hux's favorite table, half way between the dance floor and the private bar. Ben sat down as Hux headed over to grab drinks for the both of them.

Ben let his eyes wander, casually taking in the scene around them. Everyone seemed to bleed together, one person indistinguishable from the next in the crowd. Near the edge of the fence floor, Ben recognizes and familiar face and it catches his gaze. Ben only has a few seconds to decide if he wants to say something and invite him and his friends to join them before they're swallowed up by the crowd. His decision is made for him as Poe turns to one of his friends and notices him staring. Poe smiles in recognition and lifts a hand to wave at him. 

Hux sets his drink down in front of him as Ben waves back. Hux follows his eye line and yells to be heard over the noise. "Cameron you bastard! Get over here, you still owe me a drink!" 

Poe smirks and turns to his friends, saying something Ben can't quite make out just from reading lips. They seem to talk it over for a moment before Poe looks back at them with a smile and a thumbs up to Ben, a cheekier smile and a middle finger to Hux.

Ben laughs into his drink, almost getting it up his nose as Hux mumbles, "He's lucky he's attractive. Prick."

It doesn't take them long to get to the attendant, who is seemingly unimpressed by Poe's charm. Poe gestures over to their table and eventually he looks over, waiting for a yes or no. It still felt odd, knowing he had that kind of power. Ben gave him the signal and he let the group in without hesitation. 

X x X x X x X

By the time Rey, Poe, Rose and Finn reached the club, a small line had started forming, but much to their relief it hadn't started wrapping around the building yet. "Small victories" Rose muttered as they made their way to the back. 

"I don't know.. I still think that if Poe had _real_ connections, we wouldn't be waiting in line at all.." Rey teased. She didn't get to see him very often- so when she did, she had to get months worth of giving him shit into a couple of weeks. 

"I'm willing to bet that he'll be here tonight and you're going to have to eat your words." Poe replied. "And if he _is_ here, I'm also willing to bet he won't be able to take his eyes off of you." He added, a playful glint in his eye.

"Poe, I swear if you try to set me up with an American to get me to stay here, you know I'll kick your sorry arse all the way to the west coast." Rey replied.

Poe put his hands up in mock surrender. "I didn't say you had to hook up with him. I'd actually prefer you didn't. But either way, you know I'll be the first one to kick _his_ ass if he puts his hands on you without your permission- connections be damned. He's not that kind of guy, but still." He paused to gather his thoughts before continuing. "But I also know you look way too hot for your own good tonight and he'd have to be a fucking moron or temporarily blind not to notice." 

Rey rolled her eyes, but failed not to smile. "You're far, far too complimentary." 

She wouldn't lie- she did actually feel pretty good about how she looked. Rey didn't usually take the time to get all dressed up unless it was absolutely necessary- but she had to give Rose credit where credit was due. She had put her in a form fitting silver, shimmering dress that fell a few inches away from being indecent. It had sleeves that covered both arms fully, with an open back that hit about half way down. It was paired with some black ankle boots that had a small heel and a cropped black leather jacket. Rose had put a very small amount of makeup on her, insisting she really didn't need much. She had let her hair dry naturally, and it sat just below her shoulders in gentle waves. 

"And _you_ are far too modest for your own good/ You need to own in" Rose replied.

"I bet you'd have hundreds of thousands of subscribers by now if you dressed up like you were going clubbing in all of your videos." Finn added.

Rey scoffed. "Even if that were true, I wouldn't want it. I want people to watch my videos because they like hearing what I have to say." 

"Oh babe. You're just too pure for this world, y'know that? You're truly not corruptible enough to be a YouTuber." Finn replied, putting an arm around her shoulders. 

Rey opened her mouth to respond, but Rose cut her off, excitedly exclaiming "they're finally starting to let people in!"

Rey turned her head to look at the front of the queue and sure enough, they had started checking IDs. She had been so caught up in their own little world that she hadn't even noticed how long the line behind them had gotten since the last time she looked. 

"Ho-ly shit", Poe said, laughing in disbelief. "The son of a bitch actually decided to make an appearance tonight." 

"Who?" Rose asked as they turned to follow his line of sight.

"My connection" Poe replied.

Rey caught a glimpse of a man of average height with ginger hair, and a much taller man with longer, jet black hair as the bouncer let them in at the front of the queue without even asking for IDs. 

"Wait... was that..?" Rose asked, glancing over at Rey.

"Poe.. is your connection Hux? The fucking mega YouTuber? That was him, right?" Rey asked, finishing Rose's sentence for her. 

"Please" Poe scoffed. "Hux likes to think so, but his connection is the same as mine- super tall, dark and handsome that just walked in next to him. He's the guy you've gotta know." Poe explained. 

"I think we're just glossing over the fact that you might be friends with a huge YouTube star and have failed to ever mention it to us..." Rose said, cutting in.

"In my defense, Hux and I aren't exactly close friends, okay? He's a great guy to run into when you're out drinking and want to remember not a single damn thing the next morning, but I don't actually really know the guy very well." Poe replied. "A night like tonight, when we're here to celebrate, he's definitely the guy you want at your table."

"Why do I already feel the regret future me is going to feel tomorrow morning?" Rose replied.

They all laughed as they pulled out their IDs for inspection, only two people in front of them now. The bouncer was a very, very tall woman with short blonde hair. She let Finn and Poe pass with a glance, and spent noticeably more time on Rey than anyone else. She was the youngest one in the group, and for her age she looked even a few years younger than that. She was 23 going on 18, according to most. It's just something she learned to live with. Getting annoyed about it hadn't gotten her anywhere so she had given up on that response a long time ago. 

Once they were in the door, Rey let the sound of the music and the vibrations pulsing throughout the building wash over her. Spending time in loud, overpriced clubs was far from what she normally did in her spare time, but she was excited to have a night out with her closest friends. It was rare for all 4 of them to be together and she fully intended on making every second count. Rey smiled as Rose linked their arms together and led them over to the bar. They carefully navigated through the crowd and managed to get up to the actual bar without meeting much resistance. 

"So, what are you going to do if Poe's right?" Rose said, projecting to be heard over the blaring music and the buzz of conversation around them. 

"Right about what?" Rey asked, seeking clarification.

"If his _connection_ takes one look at you and is smitten forever?" Rose replied with a laugh and a knowing look.

"Oh shove off" Rey replied playfully. "That's not going to happen; and if it does, I'll play dumb and act like I don't notice." Rey continued with a shrug. 

"Okay, but what if _you_ take one look at _him_ and it's love at first sight?" Rose countered, raising an eyebrow. 

"You know I'm not like that. Besides, what have I always told you about my trips over here?" Rose replied. 

Rose huffed out another laugh as she recited. "You're here for a good time, not a long time."

"Exactly" Rey replied with a nod. She smiled as the bartender finally came to give them some attention. "We'll have one whiskey sour and one jack and coke, please." 

"You got it" he replied with a smile and a nod, disappearing back to the other side of the bar. 

They watched him in comfortable silence and dug their wallets out of their hand bags as he started making his way back to them, drinks in hand. He set them down on the bar in front of the girls and putting a hand up as they tried to hand over their cards. "It's already been paid for- both of them." He explained. 

"By who?" Rose asked, confused.

The bartender turned, nodding in the direction of two men sitting at the end of the bar- one of them winking as Rey and Rose looking their way. 

They raised their glasses in thanks as Rose muttered, "Let's go find Poe and Finn. I'm not one to turn down a free drink, but those two seem kinda creepy." 

Rey nodded in agreement and they carefully navigated their way over to the edge of the dance floor. 

"How did you manage to get drinks already?! That bar is a nightmare right now" 

Rey and Rose turned to find Poe and Finn behind them and Rose responded, "Not sure. Maybe we're more charming than you are." She shrugged, smirking. 

Poe just shook his head. 

"Don't quite know if it was worth it though, having to smile at the guys who paid for them before we had the chance" Rey added. 

"Can't even spend five minutes in here without having to worry about you two" Finn said with a sigh. "Why did we have to be cursed with such incredibly attractive lady friends, Poe?"

Poe smiles and shook his head. "I don't know, man, but until they both decide they've found men or women worthy of their lifelong love and affection, it's up to the bays to keep an eye on them. And by the gays, I obviously mean our sexy asses." 

"You know what, I've changed my mind. Clearly the question I should be asking is how do I get lucky enough to have two gorgeous, highly intelligent women that agreed to be friends with me, knowing it meant they'd also have to put up with you and how ridiculous you are." Finn replied.

"Hey, I resent -" Poe stopped mid sentence and a smile lit up his face. He lifted a hand to wave at someone somewhere behind Rose and Rey. 

They all turn to look at who he's waving to just in time to see Hux yell, "Dameron you bastard! Get over here, you still owe me a drink!"

Poe smirks and his friends all turn to look back at him. "I told you one of these nights we'd get to take full advantage of my connections. C'mon, let's head over. The bar is way better _and_ you won't get any unwanted drink buying up there. Well, unless Rey doesn't get along with her future husband Mr. tall, dark and handsome" Poe said. 

"I'm not even going to go there. Not worth trying to convince you it won't happen when your mind is clearly made up" Rey replied. 

"Let's do this! I'm down for some VIP bar perks" Rose added.

Poe looks over at the guys, giving one a thumbs up and flipping the other one off as they start heading in that direction. Once they reached the attendant, Poe is the one to initiate things. "Hey there, so my friends are sitting in this section and they just invited us to come join them at their table."

The attendant raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Look, I know you probably get that all the time- but if you could just take a second to go ask Mr. Solo" Poe paused to gesture towards the table. "- he'll tell you that he did."

The attendant looked at him for a fews seconds as if he was debating with himself. Finally, he turned to look in the direction of the table- Rey, Rose, Finn and Poe all turning to look as well. 

Hux was looking out at the dance floor, taking a sup of his drink, but the attendant didn't seem to notice. The man with the long black hair that fell just above his shoulders gave a simple nod and they were in. 

If Rey hadn't believed Poe before, she certainly did now. As important and influential Hux had seemed. he clearly had friends in even higher places - and somehow Poe knew him too. Poe lead the group over to the table and Hux turned to greet them as they approached. "You're lucky they let you in here with that greeting, Dameron." 

Poe laughed. "Oh please, you know it's my job to flip you off when I'm around to make up for all the times Ben thinks about it but never does." 

"It's the only reason I keep you around, in fact' Ben confirmed, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "It has been a while. You've got quite a bit of time to make up for."

"Good to see you too" Poe replied with a wink and a smile. "These are my friends, by the way. My roommate Finn, Rose and our friend from across the pond that's here for a good time not a long time, Rey."

"I'm glad you're all _finally_ embracing me approach to life here in the states." Rey replied, taking a sip of her drink. 

"Doesn't mean we've stopped conspiring to sabotage you getting to the airport on time. Or helping Rose kidnap you and drag you back here at the end of the year." Finn added.

"At the moment, I'll take what I can get" Rey replied, sticking her tongue out at him. 

"What my friends meant to say is, nice to meet you two and thank you for inviting us to join you", Rose said.

"Well, I'm glad I managed to drag Ben out for a night, because by the sounds of it, Rey here is after a good time. Are you more of a night you'll never forget or a night you won't remember kind of woman?" Hux asked, a playful glint in his eye.

"I'm usually not the type to do either." Rey answered. "Which one is better, in your expect opinion?" 

Hux laughed. "I like this one already. Let's start off by getting you another drink and we'll go from there. Rose, do you need another drink as well?"

"That would be amazing, thank you" Rose replied.

Hux nodded and led Rey over to the bar, the rest of the group watching them walk away. 

"I was hoping you'd show up tonight" Poe said, turning to Ben. "My friends were starting to believe I was making you up."

Ben raised an eyebrow and set his drink back down. "You know you could've just called me if you wanted to hang out." 

"It makes our relationship more exciting if I don't" Poe replied. "Gives you time to miss me." 

Ben rolled his eyes and Finn and Rose started laughing. "It's good to know you're this ridiculous with everyone and you don't just do it because you know we'll put up with you." Finn said.

Ben took a sip of his drink before he replied. "You have no idea. You should've seen him in college." 

Rose and Finn turned to him with surprised expressions. "Wait, how long have you two known each other?!" Rose asked,

"We grew up together" Ben replied. "Our parents were friends, so I got stuck with him." He said, his lips ticking up slightly. 

"And I thought I had been cursed." Finn mumbled.

Before Poe could reply, Rey and His walked back up to the table, drinks in hand. 

X x X x X x X

Hux and Rey walked over to the bar together in companionable silence. When they finally reached it, Rey leaned against it, turning to face him.

"So, how long have you been in the states for?" Rey asked. She wasn't usually talkative around new people, but his obvious accent gave her a sense of familiarity. A piece of home. 

"I've spent time here on and off for as long as I can remember." Hux replied. "But I really started spending most of my time here during University. Then after that I didn't feel like I had much of a reason to go back."

A bartender approached them before Rey could respond.

"One Johnny Walker Blue neat, and..." Hux began, before glancing over at Rey.

"One whiskey sour, not particular on the whiskey, and one vodka cranberry" Rey added.

The bartender nodded and slipped away to start making their drinks. 

"You've made it obvious that you're only here temporarily." Hux began, turning back to look at her. "How often do you make the trip?"

"I try to make the trip once a year. I started doing that a few years ago when I met Rose. I came here to do a semester abroad for Uni. I definitely wouldn't be coming back that often if I hadn't met her." 

Hux nodded. "Didn't enjoy it here as much as you'd hoped?"

Rey shrugged. "If anyone understands how extraordinarily hard and expensive it is to secure a visa over here, it would be you. If my best friends didn't live here, the trouble just wouldn't be worth it."

"And now?" Hux asked. "That you do have close friends here?" He accepted his and Rose's drink from the bartender and tipped him generously, Rey picking up her own drink. 

Rey sighed. "Now it's more a question of whether or not I can secure a job here that will sponsor me. It's also a bit of a disaster financially- my life, I mean - so that doesn't really help." 

Hux laughed and began leading them back towards the table. " Ah yes. The life of a broke Uni student. I can't say that I've ever lived it, but I've seen enough of it to know what that looks like." 

"Because you didn't go to Uni or because of your YouTube income?" Rey asked.

Hux's expression changed to one of surprise, clearly caught off guard. "You know who I am?"

"That I do, but I haven't had nearly enough alcohol to tell that story." Rey admitted, taking a large drink from the tumbler in her hand. 

Hux laughed again, raising his glass to her. "Cheers to hopefully hearing that story tonight."

This time Rey laughed along with him, clinking her glass against his. 

She knew if she ended up drunk enough to tell that story, she wasn't going to remember most of it in the morning. Conversation at the table seemed to pause momentarily as they reached it. 

"For you", Hux said, handing Rose her drink before sitting down. She thanked him as Rey sat down next to her, sipping on her own drink. 

"Rey, we've finally found someone who can tell us embarrassing stories about Poe from his younger days" Finn said like it was the most valuable discovery ever made.

Rey sat up, leaning her hands on the table, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You better not be telling me lies Finn Trooper." 

Finn shook his head. "Ben here had to grow up with him." 

" _Had_ to?!" Poe exclaimed indignantly. 

Rey's eyes drifted over to Ben really _looking_ at him for the first time. She found that he was already looking at her and their eyes met. His eyes were a deep brown and Rey could tell that there was a slight tension behind them. This wasn't his scene either, then. He didn't seem to be in his element here, the way Hux was. It was probably for the best that he was the one that had the pull here. 

"Is that so?" Rey asked rhetorically. "Looks like we have have hit the jackpot then." she added with a friendly smile. 


End file.
